In the prior art, card files are known, such as that of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,253,871; 3,602,563; and 3,734,587, the latter being by the present inventor.
This invention, generally, is of a compact desk-top rotary card filing system for either open or closed housings. It is a general purpose of this invention to provide structure for a filing system which uses a minimum number of dies and molds because the structure is interchangeable being composed of similarly structured parts so as to create interchangeability in the assembly process in order to provide a wide range of size and capacity of a file system and wherein the rotary files are adapted to be manufactured at economical cost. The rotary card filing system provides a circularly disposed body structure which will permit easy sliding contact of formed card guards which serve to compress the filed cards upon rotation of the rotor, saving wear and tear on the card groups and at the same time lowering the profile of the housing in order to provide a compact high volume rotary file for desk top use.
This invention is of an improved structure comprising a multi purpose mini-card tray rotary card filing system. The structure provides for using mini-card trays which are adapted for forward-to-rearward or side-to-side sliding movement of insertion or removal along guide tracks provided on tray supports on a main file rotor on which mini-card trays may be worked, or, alternatively, one or several of the card trays may be slidably removed from the rotor and positioned on transfer tray bases which may either be of the single or multiple type. The main rotor file structure may also be a single or a multiple rotor type rotatably mounted on a common horizontal shaft or in separate side-by-side units. The rotor is capable of supporting trays or mini-card trays, with cards in the trays for fixed track movement and which cards include in each group, if desired, index cards and an inner and outer card guard to protect the cards in rotational movement and in moving the trays from a position on the rotor of the rotary file to a transfer tray base or transbase at a work station removed from the rotor.
Generally speaking, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved mini-card rotary file structure for multi purposes use, which can be used in an open housing structure or a closed housing structure; and wherein the housing of the structure is adapted to be interconnected in side-by-side relation with two or more similar units to permit large volume card capacities and wherein the cards of the filing system are removably captivated on card holder and transfer trays which may be slidably removed from the rotary structure and utilized on transfer tray bases arranged at suitable work stations or locations and which bases have companionate track means for interengaging with the card holder and transfer card trays.
It is thus seen that this invention provides a filing system using a structural arrangement of a desk top rotary card file which will permit in-line filing of cards for rapid filing and location and wherein the cards are arranged on tracks in removable trays which are adapted to be utilized in the rotary card file as separate mini-card trays at work stations to permit divisional use. The card holder and transfer trays are easily removed from the main rotor and may be used on a single or multi transbase whereby the card trays may be slidably mounted for desk top use where work distribution is desirable of some or all of the cards of the rotary file by numerous number of persons at numerous stations. The structural means for interconnecting the trays to the rotor and transfer bases provide for slide movement of the card holder and transfer trays for use in either a slide-in slide-out forward to rearward movement or a sideways movement. The structure described hereinafter provides for a comparatively quiet operation and includes detent means for positive positioning and moving of the rotor between orienting positions of the mini-card trays as an adjunct to this rotary system and the card holder and transfer trays and includes self-orienting means and a rotor braking system.
Finally, card guards are utilized for groups of cards and indexes which are relatively enlarged to ride within predetermined runs and protectively compact the cards upon rotation so that there will not be damage upon rotation of the rotor of the structure described hereinafter or upon removal of a card tray from the main rotor file unit to a transfer tray base for a division of the work; and to this end the card guards are provided with resilient wall or run upon rotation of the rotor carrying a large number of cards, as is described more fully hereinafter and shown in the drawings.
Generally speaking, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved card rotary file structure and system which is improved and which is adapted for relatively large filing systems and which may be separated into discrete components of work for division of the work at various work stations for rapid utilization by several persons simultaneously of a relatively large number of mini-card trays with stored information.
It is an overall object of this invention to provide an improved rotary card filing system in accordance with the description set forth herein for the objects set forth and which is simple and inexpensive to construct and easy to operate, maintain and install.
In accordance with these and the foregoing objects, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: